Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Eli | Email Lauren Did Vice President KAMALA HARRIS know when she picked 14-seed Oakland University over Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament that the school was in Michigan and not her hometown in California? Yes, according to people familiar with Harris’ bracket selection process: She was aware of the geographic particulars — although she was also partial to the name. Did she know, unlike pretty much anyone else, that an obscure future insurance company executive guard named JACK GOHLKE was going to hit 10 threes and carry his squad over JOHN CALIPARI’s Wildcats? No. The main reason Harris went with the upset pick, those people familiar with her process say, is because she has a staffer who detests Kentucky. MORGAN BURKE, the VP’s director of social platforms, was among the aides who offered advice on her bracket. Maybe she was just persuasive. Maybe the school’s name sealed it. Whatever it was, Harris locked in the pick just before she and President JOE BIDEN tweeted out their brackets Wednesday morning. And the Golden Grizzlies appreciated the vote of confidence, reposting Harris’ bracket on X on Friday: “Thank you, Madam Vice President!” Harris also took time to call the Grambling State team earlier this week after the Louisiana HBCU defeated Montana State in the First Four. Harris, who traveled to Puerto Rico for official events on Friday, didn’t have time to trash-talk everyone else on the White House campus who, like pretty much all of us, had Kentucky advancing. But in the Biden White House, March Madness is a thing. More than 100 Biden administration officials have joined the annual “BOTUS” March Madness pool — as in, “Brackets of the United States” — that is being organized by KATIE REILLY, an aide to chief of staff JEFF ZIENTS, and senior adviser for public engagement WILL MCINTEE. Reilly’s email to staff last week, which was shared with West Wing Playbook, included a friendly reminder per White House counsel, and a friendly dig at her boss: “There is no money involved in this friendly match up — bragging rights are the only thing at stake … you could even say you beat the COS who will probably just put Duke as #1 ” Not a single person in the pool, where six people were tied for first place after Thursday’s opening slate of games, picked Oakland to pull the upset. Several individuals are pulling for their own schools. Associate research director PARKER CAMPBELL is rooting for TCU. Research associate NICHOLAS BATMAN is rooting equally for a UNC win and, by extension, a Duke first-round loss. Half the building is probably rooting for Yale, let’s be real. And then there’s deputy press secretary ANDREW BATES, whose alma mater, NC State (are there any readers left who are unaware of this?), played — and won — the late game Thursday night. As for the president himself, his tweeting of his own bracket had a distinctly pro forma feel. And, indeed, people close to the process acknowledged he’s not filling it out himself, much less doing 30-minute chalkboard sessions with ANDY KATZ like former President BARACK OBAMA did. But he’s hardly the only one who probably could not care less about the whole thing. YEMISI EGBEWOLE, chief of staff in the communications department, said she was riding the Metro last Saturday and got confused by all the sports fans decked out in red. But she knew exactly the person to text: Bates, who happened to be among those at or headed to Capital One Arena to watch hoops. “It was the tournament for the Atlantic-double-C conference or whatever,” she told us Friday. “Honestly, I don’t follow any of this.” Bates, meanwhile, is planning to drive with his wife MEGAN APPER to Pittsburgh Saturday to catch NC State’s second-round game against Oakland, of all teams. He’s not getting cocky, even with only a 14-seed standing in the way of a trip to the Sweet 16 (but brace yourselves for the emotional quotes he’ll be giving if they win). And, honestly, it’s probably in the bag: The vice president has already picked the Wolfpack. MESSAGE US — Are you MORGAN BURKE? How are you feeling about the Michigan State matchup? We want to hear from you. And we’ll keep you anonymous! Email us at westwingtips@politico.com. Did someone forward this email to you? Subscribe here!
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